Sept. 13, 2011 review of German psych band Electric Moon. This review comes from Sunrise Ocean Bender and was written by a Mr. Atavist…

…onwards…upwards…full payload…air is thin…right there…

Apogee.

Electric Moon are back and on fire with Flaming Lake, a live document of Open Air in Battenberg, on July 2nd of 2011. There’s definitely the whiff of fire on this one; a smoky affair, burning a seemingly inexhaustible candle at every end. 4 tracks, each over the 15 minute mark, burn and smolder without ever getting stale. In less stellar hands, we’d end up with noodle soup, but Electric Moon stir the cauldron better than ever serving up stew. Their trademark fluidity and cream are all there, in abundance. But Flaming Lake burns a little differently. It’s thankfully not leaner, but it is a little meaner. Case in point: the monolithic “Lost and Found Souls,” clocking in over 23 minutes. It comes out of the gate with a mournful surge worthy of a whale and proceeds to campaign all over the universe, up and down, until the outro brings back the opening woeful throb, acting more like call-and-response than bookends. That forlorn pall throughout has some real weight behind it though; whatever it is, it’s tough. And it might be hurt.

Back at the start though, things are as they should be with “The Cosmic Creator” laying down the first note. And the title about says it all. Starting out simply and carefully, “The Cosmic Creator” plants the first seed for what eventually layers up and blossoms into a full-fledged birth. Maybe of the creator itself, or another planet to orbit around. It’s a fantastic churning drive through deep space… that keeps going with “Flaming Lake.” Where “The Cosmic Creator” dispersed, “Flaming Lake” strides. With some effects and flourishes in just the right places, “Flaming Lake” continues the flight with a bit more swagger; pinging out just it came in.

After the menace and purpose of “Lost and Found Souls,” “Burning Battenberg” doesn’t quiet things down or put the feet back on Earth, but there is a more pensive thought running through the universal mind. The guitars have a bit more chime, the bottom end goes at a graceful gallop…but it all heats up into that boiling and roiling stew we put in an order for up top. Part of that shift in feeling is no doubt due to Alex turning over the drums to Philipp from Daturana for the closer. Another part; Electric Moon simply know how to conjure up a killer set full of dynamics and space to move around while keeping the flow as organic as possible.

Electric Moon have put out a few live discs, and Flaming Lake can easily stand toe to toe with your favorite. Full of haze and a trance-y atmosphere, Flaming Lake chugs, pulses and remains in full trippy flight, just as you’d expect it to. Another stellar orbit from Electric Moon proving that there is fire in space; bring your own oxygen.